Confessions of a Recovering Pharisee

[BBC]

Pope Benedict XVI has opened a synod of more than 200 cardinals and bishops from around the world to examine the modern lack of interest in the Bible.

The Pope lamented what he called the harmful and destructive influence of some forms of modern culture. This, he said, had decided that God was dead, and man was the sole architect of his destiny and master of creation. The synod is an advisory body of the Roman Catholic Church, which meets once every three years.

Growing indifference to religion, particularly in Europe, is a source of concern to the Pope.

He visited France last month, and was clearly referring to that country when he pointed out in his homily that nations once rich in the Christian faith and in vocations for the priesthood seem to be losing their Christian identity.

To mark the opening of the synod, Italian state television will be broadcasting a marathon reading of the whole Bible for the next six days and nights.

Read more here.

[From me]

I would agree that there is a decline people reading in Scripture.  But that is ironic coming from the church that didn’t even want their own people to have a Bible. But I don’t think blaming the “CULTURE” is wise.  As Andy Crouch said at Catalyst last week–quit complaining about Culture and change it.

What do you think?

[The Berkeley Daily Planet]

The Berkeley Unified School District is investigating a report that one of its elementary school teachers might have violated the separation of church and state by teaching creationism to her third-grade class, district officials said Tuesday.  Parents of children who attend Jefferson Elementary School told the Planet that Gwen Martin—who joined Jefferson over the summer and has been on personal leave since last week—was discussing the differences between fiction and non-fiction with her students on Aug. 29 when she told them that the only thing they should believe in was God. 

The parents who contacted the Planet did not themselves have children in Martin’s class. They asked not to be identified in print to protect their children.  Parents said that Martin had listed Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and Harry Potter under fiction on the blackboard, which promptly reduced some of the 8-year-olds to tears, after which she made the comment about God. 

They said that Martin then said that she didn’t believe in evolution or the Big Bang theory either. 

A group of Jefferson parents, concerned that the teacher’s alleged actions violated their civil liberties and the separation of church and state, took the matter to Jefferson’s new principal, Maggie Riddle. The matter ultimately reached the ears of district administrators. 

“We are investigating that there were reports that’s what happened,” Berkeley Board of Education President John Selawsky said Tuesday when asked about the incident at Jefferson. “It’s being dealt with. Since it’s a confidential personnel matter, that’s all I can say.” 

School board member Karen Hemphill said the district would take into account a lot of factors before making any decisions about the case.

“For one, she’s a new teacher, and then we have to consider all the facts,” she said. “Regardless of what may or may not have happened, we in the Bay Area are very sensitive to not mixing education with religion. Not only are you not supposed to, but we have a wide range of religious views. There are certain laws and court cases that define what is permissible and not permissible.” 

District Superintendent Bill Huyett refused comment on the status of Martin’s case, stating that it was a personnel issue.  Selawsky said that incidents such as the one reported to have occurred at Jefferson were uncommon in Berkeley. 

“This is the first time in my eight years as a board member that I have heard of allegations of teaching creationism and denying evolution,” said Selawsky, who is running for re-election for a third term this year. 

“You certainly don’t hear about this in the Bay Area,” he said. “In places like Kansas it’s an ongoing battle and a big political issue. There are strict stipulations in the state Education Code about what public school teachers can or cannot do. We heard about the incident from parents and from various sources.” 

Selawsky said that if the allegations were true the district would likely seek some form of discipline against her. 

Read more here.

[From me]

I love the line that says you don’t hear about this in the Bay Area.  Yeah, because you would be stoned like this poor teacher will be.  Some nosey parent who doesn’t even have a child in the class turned the teacher in.  I guess they haven’t “evolved” fully to keep their nose in their own child’s class.  I also love how they make the teacher out to be horrible because she made the students cry about Santa, the Easter Bunny and Harry Potter.  

I think California has “EVOLVED” too far!

What do you think?

Yesterday I asked the question are Mormons Christians?  It seems that the Mormon sect desperately wants everyone to believe they are Christians.  The fact is that most Mormons are good, fine, upstanding, moral people.  In fact they often act like Christians.  Even worse, they act more like Christians than some Christians.

I’m an observer of culture.  It appears to me that many Christians want so desperately to be accepted by the world that they don’t even act like Christians.  What makes us different than the world?  Now there are some who go to far extremes and have their own little sub culture.  They will never change the culture because they avoid it.  But there are others that want to be hip and cool so they live like everyone else around them.

The divorce rate in the church is as high as those who aren’t beleivers.  Christians are involved in extra-marital affairs just like other people.  Christians lie, steal and cheat.  Famous Christian leaders are engaging in high profile sins.  Christians subsribe to HBO, Showtime, etc.. and go to sex filled, and profanity ladened movies.  Pornography is a dirty little secret that the church ignores.  Christians don’t act that much different than the rest of the world.  I believe some are stealing what it means to be a Christian.  Jesus didn’t die for our sins to give us a license to sin.

When it comes to faith, I’ve heard people say they believe in the 3 “F’s” (Faith, facts and figures).  That’s funny because Jesus didn’t live that way. Tell that to Peter who walked on water. The facts sure didn’t point to that happenng.  Tell that to Lazarus who was raised from being dead for over 3 days.  Who in their right mind thought that he would rise from the dead.  I don’t see much faith anymore.  Usually what I hear is remember when God did___________(fill in the blank)?  It usually something He did 10 years before.  I fell into that trap last fall and Craig Groeschel rocked my world by preaching a message called “Practical Atheisim” at Catalyst. His family was actually praying that all of us in that conference would be disturbed.  I couldn’t sleep for 3 days.  I realized that I was living by what I could do and not trusting God to move in only a way that He could.  I wanted my children to see God do something in our family while they were at home. I don’t want to tell stories about God moving–I want them to see God at work!

When is the last time you saw God move?  When is the last time you saw God do something in your life that only He could do?  Are you really living like a Christian?  I ask this question to myself as I write this.  I’m at a crisis of belief point in my life.  I’m having to truly rely on God to move.  The facts and figures don’t make sense, but Jesus wants me to follow Him not the facts and figures.

So are Christians really Christians?

What do you think?

Thursday night my son called from the dock where he was fishing and said he and his friends bike had just been stolen.  I drove down and picked him up and we drove around the neighborhood to see if we could find the bike.  One of neighbors said she saw two teenagers who have been known to cause trouble riding 2 bikes just a few minutes earlier.  The boys live next door to each other in the neighborhood.  I walked down and one of the boys mothers was walking next door to get her son.   When I told her that someone saw her son and our neighbor with 2 bikes.  She didn’t argue with me at all.  In fact she knew her son was involved and dragged her son out of the house and said “I can’t believe you did it, give him his bike back.”  She made him apologize and gave us both bikes back.

The other boy was not so remorseful. His parents weren’t there and his excuse was the bikes were just sitting there so I just took them.  He never apologized and was extremely disrespectful.  I didn’t know if I should call the police but waited until his mom got home.  His mom was very nice and apologized to me. But even she was amazed that her son was not remorseful.  Now this boy has been seen in the neighborhood with other teenagers messing with cars.  He has messed with our home before. He egged our neighbors truck a few months ago.  There are rumors he is dealing drugs.  He is only 14.

There have been many thefts in cars and homes in our neighborhood.  Now we don’t live in a bad neighborhood.  It is a planned community with a swimming pool and tennis courts.  There are very expensive homes on the river.  But the crime here is going higher and higher.  In fact the crime in our entire community is going out the roof.  My wife was car jacked at the Wal-Mart last May.  

We

[Denver Post]

Among the items that one could put under the Christmas tree:

• An action figure of Jesus surfing.

• A doll named “Faith” holding a tiny Bible.

• A piece from the Psalm 23 jewelry collection.

Welcome to the world of Christian retail. Since the 1980s, when the main product was the Bible, the evangelical retail market has soared. This Christmas there are evangelical Christian toys, DVDs, candies, wines, alarm clocks and books.

The creator of G.I. Joe action figures, Don Levine, is offering a line called Almighty Heroes, featuring Moses, Samson and other Bible characters. Wal-Mart, the nation’s largest retailer, is carrying Christian action figures from One2believe in 425 of its stores. A “Pick Jesus” T-shirt is available from Amazon.com.

“After 40 years in the business,” said Bill Anderson, president of the Christian retail association CBA, “I know that both retailers and consumers always desire creative and fresh ways to express their faith.”

Last Christmas’ big hit was “Dance Praise,” an interactive DVD featuring Christian music, replete with dance-steps floor pad, Weyel said. Haroz Vintners of Norcross, Ga., is offering wine, called The Grapes of Galilee, produced in the Holy Land where Jesus is said to have turned water into wine.

To be sure, other religions also have their product lines. Jewishsource.com. offers a hand-painted, wooden 10 Plagues bowling set. And one also can purchase Buddha pencil toppers.

The Christian market, however, with almost 70 million American adults and $2.1 trillion, or 28 percent of the national annual income in 2006, is the main event.

Evangelical Christians are drawn to products that reinforce their religious values, and more so than other groups, according to an analysis by Packaged Facts, a New York-based market research firm.

“The important distinction is that evangelicals tend to interpret the meaning and implication of their financial decisions from a biblical perspective,” the Packaged Facts report said.

Mixing retail and religion can come with risks.

Read about it here.

[From the Word]

Matthew 21:11-13

Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. “It is written,” he said to them, ” ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’but you are making it a ‘den of robbers.’”

[From me]

Is this what our faith has become? I have no problems Christians making an honest living. I love shopping at Christian Book Stores for books and CD’s. Would Jesus have marketed Himself and His message?

What do you think?